


The Tale of the Two Queens

by Fanny_Glambert



Series: Mages and Queens - A fantasy Glambert story [2]
Category: Adam Lambert (Musician)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Mages, Royalty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-18 06:18:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10611006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fanny_Glambert/pseuds/Fanny_Glambert
Summary: Twins are rare and powerful in this Kingdom and when a pair is separated and then one of them becomes Queen while the other stays in obsurity, everything can happen.***********************WARNING: If you didn't read The Magic Within yet, please do before you read this one, 'cause this is full of spoilers of the main story)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello my lovelies!  
> This is the story of the Red Queen and her sister. I hope you enjoy it even though Adam isn't the main character.

It had begun exactly how every birth of a child with Magic. The parents, a shoemaker and his seamstress wife, didn’t have a clue about the faith of their baby, much less that they should’ve been expecting two, instead of one.

The amniotic sack started to leak steadily at noon and that was how the mother knew her baby was coming, for she was feeling no pain whatsoever. That put the shoemaker on alert too. They should call the Master Mages in the Academy. That was the tradition but… But he didn’t want to! He and his wife dreamt about having a child for so long! And now the Mages would take the baby away from them. Sure, they were bound to receive some money and all the praises in the world, but what was all that compared to the love of a child?

So, no. The shoemaker didn’t call the Mages and his wife didn’t question him. She endured the labor relying only on her husband to help if necessary.

When the baby was ready to come out to the world, the shoemaker was there to catch and rejoice in the fact that he was now the father of a beautiful baby girl with dark skin like her mother and eyes like his. He wrapped her in her tiny blanket and was about to give her to her mom when his wife alerted him that she needed to start pushing again.

Surprised, the shoemaker laid his daughter beside her mother and prepared to catch the second baby. He was very surprised to see that it was another girl, a mirrored image of her older sister, but with light eyes. The new dad smiled so broadly that his cheeks hurt. She was so perfect! They were both perfect, his little girls!

Suddenly, a strong knock shook their door and the new parents knew who were at the other side. The Master Mages.

“We can have at least one of them!” The shoemaker said to his wife in a hushed voice. “There’s no way for them to know you gave birth to two babies…”

“But husband… I couldn’t possibly choose between them!”

“Neither can I, my love but it is choosing one or losing them both!”

Another loud bang on the door made the younger baby start to cry in her father’s arms.

The seamstress had tears in her eyes as she looked from one baby to the other until she finally said: “We’ll give them the oldest one. She’s probably bound to something great in the future.”

The husband nodded then and took a basket from under his workstation, filling it with patches of cloth. He then put his baby girl in the basket and hid it in the only other room of their small house, praying to the Providence that the baby stayed quiet.

Hurriedly, he ran back to the front door and opened it.

“A child was born here tonight.” One of the men at the other side said without preambles. “A child blessed with Magic.”

“My wife just gave birth to a baby girl.” The shoemaker confirmed, stepping aside so the men could walk in his humble house.

“Do you really have to take her away?” The mother said, clutching at her little girl.

“We do,” One of them, with soft brown eyes and a gentle smile said, approaching the bed where she still laid. “I am very sorry for this, mistress, but that’s the law. Your baby girl can grow up to be the most important person in our kingdom and we must protect her, and you!”

“The sun and both moons rose in the sky for you daughter,” The other man said “You should be proud! She’s bound to be very powerful.”

“What shall become of her?” The father asked.

“We don’t know yet,” the gentle Mage replied, looking amiably to the sleeping baby in her mother’s arms. “I can promise you, mistress, that I’ll love and care for your child as she was my own flesh and blood.”

“And what do you Mages know about being flesh and blood with anyone?” The shoemaker retorted, angry.

“Sir, please calm down!” The brown eyed Mage replied, “Your anger is totally justified but there’s nothing I can do besides promising you that your baby will grow up happy, healthy and loved.”

“My dear, please don’t make it harder than it already is!” The seamstress said, kissing her baby’s forehead before handing her to the Gentle Mage.

“Thank you, mistress!” The Mage took the baby carefully in his arms and nodded to the mother again before stepping closer to the shoemaker, so he could say goodbye to his daughter. “The paymaster will be here at the first lights, tomorrow.”

The shoemaker tearfully kissed the small forehead and wished her a happy, fulfilling life and then, just like that, they were gone.

“We need to get out of here,” He said as soon as the two Mages disappeared in a cloud of Magic. “We can’t stay here or they’ll find out about the other baby.” He went back to the other room and took his daughter from the basket, kissing her cheeks before giving her to her mother.

“I know. We’ll go up north, my mother will help us.” The seamstress looked at her baby, mesmerized by her bright, almost unnaturally so, eyes. “You’ll be okay my precious little gift! Mom and dad are here for you. My little Matinna.”

 

A year went by. A year when the shoemaker and his seamstress wife were unimaginably happy with their baby girl but frightened of anyone discovering their secret. They became nomads, never staying in the same city for too long.

Matinna grew strong and happy, nourished by her parents love and care, but soon it became clear to them that she had very strong Magic in her. It would rain every time she cried and the sun became brighter and warmer on their skin when she laughed.

“We can’t keep her, husband.” The seamstress said one night. They were traveling again, to the capital of the kingdom this time. “There’s no way to know what will happen if she grows up untrained…”

The shoemaker released a long sigh and looked at his wife. “After all we’ve been through, we’ll end up without her anyway?”

“No. She’ll always be in our hearts and we’ll be in hers. We ought to rejoice in the fact that we had her to ourselves for a whole year.”

“Do you think they will punish us for keeping her?”

“I hope not but if they do, we’ll endure it. I don’t regret doing it.”

The shoemaker kissed his wife on the forehead, letting his rest against hers for a moment. “Me neither! Dear Providence, me neither.”

It took them two days to reach the magnificent Capital of their kingdom, where the White King lived. It was a day of celebration in the big town, but the couple didn’t find pleasure in the bright colored flags or the smell of good food.

They walked through the crowded streets, hand in hand and mirrored sadness in their eyes, to the Mage Academy behind the White Castle.

After knocking at the huge wooden door, they waited for the Mage in charge.

A beautiful woman with pitch-black hair opened the door saluting them, the white robes she was wearing a blatant statement about her status in the Academy. She was the Head Mage.

“Welcome!” She said, with a sweet smile. “Are you ready to give her up now?”

“You… You knew about our daughter? All this time?” The shoemaker questioned.

“Yes, I did.”

“Then… why…” The seamstress digressed.

“Because she needed you. It was part of her destiny to be yours for a year. I’m glad you made the right decision to bring her to us now.”

“You’ll take good care of her, yeah? She’s a very special little girl.” The shoemaker said, smiling at his girl.

“Of course! She will be under my tutorage until she’s ready for her life and she’ll have a wonderful one! Rest assured my dears.”

The seamstress then hugged her baby and kissed her face, whispering: “You are loved. Never forget, my dear, that you are so loved! Mom and dad will always love you!”

The Head Mage smiled at the scene, although her eyes were filled with tears. That was one of the reasons why the Mages took the babies to the Academies just after the birth. It’s always so sad to separate a family that had already created bonds! And at the same time, it was clear to her that this tradition had to die. It was clear to her and no one else, though.

She could see the baby’s soul in this exact moment and it gleamed a bright red with a golden aura around it. That aura was her parent’s love for her and that aura made her soul so much stronger and pure! How could they deny that to every Mage born in the kingdom?

A tearful shoemaker kissed his girl one last time before handing her to the Mage. Matinna looked confused from her parents to the woman that now held her, but she didn’t cry or made any sound really. She put her little hands on the Mage’s face, smiled for a second and then laid her head on the woman’s shoulder.

“She will carry you both in her heart forever.” The Head Mage said before going back inside and closing the heavy door.

The shoemaker and his seamstress wife ended up settling down in the Capital, always hoping they would get a glimpse of their baby growing up.  They had other children, a boy and a girl, and they loved them very much, but Matinna was always in their thoughts.

 

The little Mage girl, now named Layung, blossomed under the care of the Head Mage and her other professors. She was kind and loving but also headstrong and regal, which surprised her masters; it was like she knew what she was destined for.

With time, her personality grew and developed, as her Magic did but there was something else growing inside of her. An inexplicable sadness that seemed to always surround her soul. She learned how to deal with it, although nobody could provide a good enough explanation why she felt that way all the time.

“You miss your mom and dad.” Her tutor said one day.

“No. That’s not it,” She refuted “I have my parents with me all the time; my soul aches, but it’s not because of them… It’s like I’m missing something but I don’t know what it is.”

 

At the extreme opposite of the land, in another Mage Academy, there was another little girl growing and blossoming under the care of her Master Mages. She also had dark skin and thick lips, glowing eyes and an aching soul. But this girl, named Melynas by her tutor, didn’t have her parent’s love guarding her soul. She was strong and powerful, like her twin sister, but her soul was vulnerable. And that was why Chaos chose her.

The Chaos was a powerful force trying to have It’s way with the land. The Natural enemy of the Providence, Chaos sole purpose was to disrupt the rhythm by which life followed its course. It would seek vulnerable souls and do such damage in their lives that those people would die before fulfilling their destinies so it could feed on their souls.

The Providence knew about Chaos’ actions, of course, and It knew that something ought to be done to contain the opposite force’s advance but It also knew that the souls bound to do that had not being born yet and wouldn’t be for a long time still. So the Providence watched and waited, intervening whenever possible, just to keep balance.

But there were things that not even the Providence could do, things that were already settled by Destiny. It was Melynas fate to be corrupted by Chaos and bring change to the land. Once in a while, a soul would be chosen by the Destiny to change things that needed to change.

It all began the day the young Mage in training found an abandoned room on the very top of one of the South Academy’s tallest towers. In there she became acquainted with a mysterious person, well, at least she thought it was a person… All she could see was a long cape with a hood that kept the face hidden, pants, tall boots and gloves covering the hands. If she would dare pick under the hood, she would see only a dark matter spiraling in itself, no eyes, no mouth or nose, just darkness.

“Come closer child,” A spectral voice echoed on the walls around Melynas. It wasn’t a masculine voice, but it wasn’t feminine either, what intrigued the young girl. “I won’t do you any harm…”

“Who… Who are you? How did you get up here?”

“You can call me Haphara and it is of no importance how I got here. The important thing is that I’m here to help you.”

“Help me? With what?”

“I have all the answers no one wants to give you.”

“What do you mean they don’t want to tell me?”

“They keep secrets from you, child. Big secrets.”

“What… what kind of secrets?” Melynas took one step closer, still reticent.

“About your birth, your parents and why you have this ache in your soul. It’s all connected actually.”

“You know why my soul aches?” The figure nodded once “Tell me! Please!”

“Your soul is a half of a whole. It aches because it is incomplete.”

“Why is it incomplete? Where is the other half?”

“The other half is in your twin sister.”

At that Melynas knees failed her and she fell on a dirty ottoman beside her, hands shaking and tears in her eyes. “I have a sister? A… A twin? Where does she live? Why did no one tell me about her? Is it possible that they don’t know about her?”

“Of course they know, girl. But they will keep you two apart because she’s too important to have to worry about a sister.”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s the most important person in this land after the White King and his wife.”

“She will be Queen!” The hooded figure nodded again. “Why did they separate us? I mean, I know that Mages can’t have family bonds, but they must know what that separation would do to both of us…”

“Well, only to you really… You see, your sister lives in another Academy because your parents gave you away and kept her.”

“What?”

“You heard me. They kept her for a year, until they noticed she was way too powerful to grow up untrained, only then did they hand her to a Mage Academy. The love they felt for her protects her soul from aching so badly.”

“I… They must have a good reason for that… I mean…”

“The reason doesn’t matter, child. They gave you away. They could have kept you, the older sister, instead of the other. They should have, actually. Now you’re here and she’s there, enjoying the privileges of the future Queen and the love of your people.”

Melynas started to cry then, heavy heartfelt tears running down her cheeks and the figure smiled under its hood.

“Now, now child. Don’t be sad. Sadness won’t take you anywhere. Be angry. Anger can get you where you want to be!”

“What can I do?” She said then, wiping away her tears. “It must be my destiny…”

“Let me help you change your destiny then.”

 

Centuries passed, day after day Layung grew up beautiful and witty, loved by her future subjects and the people close to her. The ache in her soul tamed but a constant companion nevertheless.

On the day set for her coronation, she counted 500 summers and felt ready to take the responsibilities she would be entrusted. It was sad to say goodbye to the White King and his Queen, but she knew they were happy to spend the rest of their lives together in one of the Forgotten Castles and that she could always count on them for advice.

She was happy with her faith and the only thing she missed was a connection of souls like the former royal couple had. They were so in tune with each other that sometimes it was hard for her to watch them together.

It all changed the night of her thousandth birthday, though. The night she met the Mage Warrior that was destined to lead her army and protect her.

Layung was excited and restless while waiting for the feast to commence, pacing around her room until the Chancellor knocked on her door.

“The Mage is here, Your Majesty, we can start the festivities.” The old man said, bowing to her.

“I want to see him!”

“My Lady, that’s totally against the protocol and…”

“Am I or am I not your Queen, Chancellor?” Layung counters with all her regal pose.

“Of course, Your Majesty… I’ll send for him.”

“No, that will take too long. Take me to him.”

The Chancellor was about to retort but the Queen arched one eyebrow quieting him. “This way please.”

With a quirky smile, she followed the man through hallways and salons. “Why were you hiding him from me?” She asked, after a long walk.

“Your Majesty! Of course, we were not…” The old man started to stutter then.

“That’s enough Lord Chancellor,” She stated with a sigh. So many good jokes went to waste because the old man didn’t have a sense of humor! “Please come get me when the time comes.”

After waiting for the man to disappear around a corner, Layung turned back to the door and knocked.

Instead of the usual ‘come in’ command, the knob turned slowly and the door opened without a sound. At the other side, a tall, dark-haired man with the most beautiful blue eyes was looking at her in shock.

“Good evening, can I come in?” She said, smiling.

“Dear Providence! Of course!” The man gasped, getting out of the doorway “I’m sorry, Your Majesty!”

“There’s no need to be nervous, my dear. I’m a person just like you.”

“But you are not! Your Majesty, you are the most important person in our land!” She smiled at that, very moved by the devotion and respect oozing from the blue irises.

“And you will be my personal guard, that makes you the second most important person in our land. I think we are at the same level here.”

“Never!”

Layung smiled again, changing tactics “They didn’t tell me your name yet.”

“Oh! I’m Adam, Your Majesty.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Adam,” The Queen then reached forward to close her right hand on the Mage’s left shoulder in the traditional gesture “I’m Layung.”

Shocked, Adam returned the greeting, unable to say a word. The Red Queen really had just told him her given name?

“Now, let me make something very clear,” She started again, sitting on his bed. His BED! “I do not enjoy flattery for the sake of flattery. Nor do I appreciate adulation, so I expect you to be completely honest and open with me, always and I expect you to call me on my mistakes and missteps.”

Adam gasped, his mouth hanging open for an unflattering couple of seconds. There she was, the most powerful woman in the land, dressed for a royal ball in a magnificent scarlet gown draped in diamonds and rubies, head adorned by the crown designed just for her, sitting on his bed like it was a throne, looking at him with those mesmerizing bright eyes and telling him he could scold her if she makes a mistake.

“How can I even do that, My Lady?” He finally managed to say “You were educated to rule the kingdom, and I am just a Mage…”

At that, she opened a small smile “The great Providence graced all Its children with common sense and something we like to call a brain, Adam. Use it and I know we’ll be fine.”

Adam started to laugh then and felt completely relaxed in the presence of the Queen. They talked about their lives and compared memories from their time at the Mage Academy there in the Capital.

At some point, Adam surprised the Queen by kneeling before her and saying “I know I’m supposed to do it in the throne room, before the court but I would like to take my pledge right here, for your ears only, My Lady.”

Speechless, Layung looked at the beautiful man at her feet and blinked a few times. “You don’t have to do that, Adam… I don’t even think this pledge thing is necessary…”

“Indeed it isn’t. Your Majesty inspires devotion in your subjects, but I would like to do that regardless. If you’ll allow me.”

 “Go ahead, dear,” she said, at last, smiling at him and offering her hand for Adam to hold.

“On this day of celebration, I pledge myself to you, my Queen. From this day forward, my life and body are not my own. I only have my will and my will is and always will be, to protect you from harm as long as I’m alive or as long as you will have me by your side.”

And from that day Adam became Layung’s shadow. He would keep her company every waking moment and fortunately, they got along really well. He would sing for her and teach her swordplay, away from the eyes of the Queen’s Chancellors of course. They took great pleasure in each other’s company, so, naturally, it didn’t take long for a rumor about their imminent union start to circulate in the court.

A couple years later, four of Adam’s best friends from the Academy were admitted into the Red Castle to also serve the Queen and finally, Layung had a family around her again.

 

While the kingdom flourished under the Red Queen’s guidance, Melynas grew angrier and angrier, with the voice of the mysterious Haphara constantly whispering in her ears. She tried to fight it for some time but it was useless, her unprotected soul succumbed to It easily and the last good deed she ever did was to save a pair of twins abandoned in the woods. In them, she saw herself and what could have happened if someone would have cared for her. At this point, she had completely disregarded her years in the Academy and the Gentle Mage who had vowed to her mother to love and take care of her.

She lived alone in the ruins of a big castle in the middle of nowhere until she found the twins. She named them Darius and Sirus, after the two moons that were her constant companions in her sleepless nights and the little boys warmed her heart more and more every day.

Haphara wouldn’t have it happening, though. It doubled Its efforts to corrupt her soul to the point of no return and when the boys were about twenty years of age, It convinced her to send them away and erase all their memories of her, breaking her heart once and for all.

After that, Melynas heart became a bubbling cauldron of umbrage and loathing for the ones living a happy life.

 

When the Last War had begun, the citizens of the capital and the cities around it didn’t even have the time to understand what was happening. All they knew was that an army of wood and stone soldiers took their towns by storm leaving only death and destruction behind. Most people died in the first attacks, unprepared and unprotected.

The Red Queen did have an army, but they were living in a peaceful time, so said army wasn’t ready to interfere. That would be one of many burdens, the young Mage Warrior named Adam, would carry throughout his long life.

“Layung I will not, under any circumstances, allow you to remain here!” He burst into the Queen’s chambers on the day the Red Castle was surrounded by the hostile army.

“Oh, I’m sorry. When did they crown you King?” She retorted, frowning at her Commander in Chief “As far as I know, you refused my proposal. Several times.”

“This is not the time to be sarcastic, Layung! Your life is in danger!”

“So are the lives of my people! I. Can’t. Run. Away!” She punctuated every word, crossing her arms.

“And what are you intending to do? You have no training in battle whatsoever and…”

“No, but what’s the fucking point of being the most powerful sorceress born in the last two thousand years if I can’t fight for my people when they need me, damn it!?”

Shocked at hearing the Queen swear for the first time, the Warrior kept silent for a second, until his friend Danielle entered the room.

“Adam, we need you downstairs, they are advancing.” And turning to the Queen, the blond woman continued “My Lady, what are you doing here still?”

“She wants to fight!” Adam said exasperatedly.

“Are you out of your fucking mind, Layung?” Danielle shouted “We can’t take the risk of losing you! The kingdom will be left on its own until the next sovereign is born and…” The Mage paused, fighting the jade colored tears flooding her eyes. “And we would have to carry on without you. Did you think about that?”

“Danielle, I’m sorry but I must think of my people first! What is best for them!”

“The best for your people is to have you alive and ready to lead them back to peace and prosperity… Layung, please. Let me take you to a safe place… Please!”

The Queen looked in her friend’s eyes for a long moment before finally nodding in agreement. Danielle was the only other woman in their little family and their connection was strong, besides, she was a powerful Seer and Layung had to trust her.

Before she could say anything else, though, a window burst next to them and a wooden golem jumped inside the room, spilling huge barbs towards the Queen.

Quick in his reflexes, Adam jumped in front of her, receiving the impact of five splinters in his body. Layung screamed, throwing her arms around her injured friend to support his body while Danielle took care of the creature sending it back through the window in a ball of flames.

“Danielle!” The Queen screamed, kneeling on the floor with Adam, now unconscious, still in her arms “Danielle, do something!

The blood was everywhere, leaving Layung’s bright red dress darker and wet.

“We’re losing him!” The Mage said and at the exact same moment, two of Adam’s soldiers burst into the room, shoved backward by another huge golem.

“What the fuck are you still doing here?” The one with long black hair and arms as thick as logs screamed from over his shoulder. “The castle has been taken!”

“Tell the troops to retreat, then,” The Queen stated, still embracing Adam’s body. “To Castle Grace. Let’s regroup and rest to try again tomorrow.”

The two warriors nodded charging against the golem and finally defeating it. Soon after they disappeared down the hallway outside the Queen’s chambers while Layung and Danielle transported Adam’s unconscious body to the secluded castle.

Immediately the servants surrounded them, supporting the warrior’s weight and taking him to a nearby room.

“Your orders, My Lady?” The head of staff exclaimed, twitching his hands.

“Prepare the Castle to receive the troops, Nobles. And leave us alone.” The servant bowed and left “We need to take the splinters out!”

“I can’t! He will bleed to death!”

The Queen stood by her friend’s side, hands clasped over her heart and eyes fixated on Adam’s pale face.

“We can bring him back!” She said at last and Danielle looked at her like the Queen was crazy “We can! Give me one of your tears!”

Uncertain, the Mage took the small crystal flask where she stored the jade beads her tears always turned into and gave one of them to Layung.

The Queen cupped the tear with both hands, surrounding it with her red Magic “Now, remove the barbs as quickly as you can.”

Danielle complied and igniting her hands, she touched two splinters at a time, burning them on the spot. The big wounds started to bleed profusely. When all of them were gone, Layung engulfed Adam’s lifeless body with her Magic, Danielle’s tear floating and melting slowly inside of it.

“We are losing him!” The Mage alerted, feeling his pulse slow down.

“Put your hands over his heart! Keep it beating!”

A few tense moments went by when only the Queen’s heavy breathing and Danielle’s sobs could be heard, until all the red Magic was absorbed by Adam’s body and Layung fell to the ground, panting.

“Layung, are you alright?” Danielle motioned to go to the Queen’s side but she stopped her.

“No! Stay with him. I’m fine.” She shouted, sitting up “Keep his heart beating until it stands on its own.”

“But Layung…”

“Damn it Danielle! Why do you have to be so stubborn?!”

“I learned from the best.” The blonde Mage retorted with a cheeky smile, the Queen huffed loudly. “At least let me call for Newton, so he can take you to your chambers.”

Layung finally nodded and Danielle sent her Magic to search for her friend.

When the Alchemist entered the room a few minutes later both women let out a sigh of pure admiration. Newton was a beautiful man, even more beautiful than Adam, if one were more inclined to the androgynous, fair and delicate look. His impossibly long hair shined like if it was made of gold, even if he kept it braided and wrapped around his neck to keep it out of the way, his lips were full and so well designed one couldn’t help but to want to kiss him and his eyes were the color of heavy stormy clouds, deep and mysterious. Newton was tall and strong but not nearly as muscular as the other men in Adam’s troop, and that appealed to the ladies as much as his sweet temper and joyful disposition. Fortunately for them, Newton was never one to say no to a nice girl, or boy, for that matter.

“Danielle, you seemed distressed! What happened?”

“Adam was hit by a wooden golem, our stubborn Queen spent all her energy bringing him back and now she won’t let me take care of her. Could you please do that for me?”

“Yes, of course!” The Mage kneeled beside the Queen and took her in his arms, only then risking a look at Adam’s unconscious body over the table. “Will he be alright?”

“Don’t worry. Adam will be as good as new in a few hours,” Danielle replied, confident. Newton smiled then and left, with the Queen still in his arms.

“Honestly, New. You don’t need to carry me all the way,” She stated once they were out of Danielle’s reach.

“I know, but when was the last time I had you in my arms like this?” The Alchemist flashed a smile at her and kept walking down the hallway and upstairs. Layung sighed and cuddled against his chest. “How are you feeling?” He asked after finally placing her on her bed.

“Weak and tired, like I could sleep for the rest of my life... But I’ll be fine!”

“Here, drink this,” The Mage then made a tall chalice made of glass appear between his hands “It’s an invigorating elixir I made for Danielle. I think you need it more than she does.”

The Queen snarled but took the chalice, taking a small sip. “It tastes like fresh plums!” She exclaimed, surprised.

“Yes. I think it’s worth the time to try and make those palatable. I’m glad you liked it.” He said, taking the empty chalice back.

A few minutes of silence passed before the Queen finally had the courage to ask: “What happened in the Red Castle?”

Newton sighed and sat in a chair by her side, pinching the bridge of his nose “We were slaughtered. There’s no way we could be prepared for that… I… I don’t know what to do!”

“But I do!” They both looked at the door to see Adam, completely recovered from his wounds, eyes flashing with determination. He stepped into the room and kneeled before the Queen. “I can’t thank you enough for saving my life, Layung! I won’t disappoint you again!”

That said, he kissed her hand and stood up. “We need to go take the Red Castle back, Newton are you coming with me?”

“Yes, of course! If you’ll excuse us, Layung.” The Alchemist replied, bowing to the Queen.

They were gone before she could say anything.

 

The solution Adam had come up with was rather simple, yet temporary. Their priority was to make sure the people were safe, so he asked his defense specialist to cast a magical barrier around the Fallen Castle, where the usurper had made her settlement, imprisoning her and her goons inside. Meanwhile, the rest of the army would take the people to safety.

“I like this dark haired warrior,” Melynas said to herself while observing her sister’s army’s advances through a vortex of Magic. “He’s handsome and so smart! I think I’m going to keep him.”

“He’s also very loyal to your twin,” Haphara told her, appearing by her side.

“That can be changed…”

“You think so, girl?”

“Yes, I do.”

Looking at herself in Layung’s big mirror, Melynas changed her clothes to a provocative dress embroidered with jewels, concealing her real appearance with a spell.

 

Adam entered the last home on the outskirts of the town just to make sure it was empty.  He looked around the living room and the kitchen and satisfied with what he saw, the Mage Warrior was leaving when he heard a noise coming from the back, probably the bedroom.

He peeked through a crack in the door to see a woman lying down on the bed, long legs of dark skin appearing through the slits of her black skirt. Adam knocked and then opened the door. “Miss, what are you still doing here? The town is being evacuated.”

“I know. I was waiting for you, valorous Warrior,” She said with a mellifluous voice.

“And what can I do for you, miss…”

“My name is Melynas,” Then, the girl kneeled on the bed, reaching a hand for him “Come sit with me. I was waiting for you because I saw everything you’re doing for our people and I thought you deserved a reward.”

Adam looked from her hand to her pretty face, brows frowned and arms crossed. “I’ll be rewarded when the usurper is defeated and our Queen is back in her rightful place,” He retorted “Now come with me. You must leave town with the others.”

“But I don’t want to! Let me stay here and alleviate your tensions, brave Warrior!” In a fluid movement, she was over him, arms around his neck and slim body pressed against his “I can take you to the Plains and back!”

“I’m sorry, but I’m really not interested, miss,” The Mage said, pulling her arms from his neck and taking a step back.

He took a moment to look at her. There was something strange about that girl but he couldn’t discern what. She felt familiar, her touch and presence, even her voice sounded like something he had heard before, but at the same time, it was completely foreign. She was like an incomplete déjà vu.

“Oh, c’mon!” She approached him again, brushing her thick lips on his “All this time you’ve spent working non-stop and surrounded by nothing but sweaty muscled men, made you a cold, frigid man?”

With a wicked smile, he pushed her back again, not so gently this time. “I’m not frigid, miss. I’m not interested in your generous offer because I’m a homophile.”

“You are what? What does that mean?”

“It means that to spend my days surrounded by sweaty muscled men is my personal paradise.” He answered with a sideways smile.

Astonished, Melynas stared at the Mage’s face for a long time, until they heard another voice: “Adam, are you there?”

“Over here, Newton,” The Warrior shouted, looking over his shoulder. When he turned back, the girl had vanished.

“What are you doing here? We are waiting for you…” The blond Mage said, entering the room.

“I think our nemesis just tried to seduce me…” Adam replied, humorously.

“Really?” The other nodded “In normal circumstances, I would say poor thing, but today I’ll only laugh.”

“You can be very mean, you know that?” Adam laughed with him.

“So I was told… C’mon. We need to go.” Newton then turned around to leave, but Adam reached for him, placing a hand on his shoulder, making the blond Mage turn back to face him.

“What’s the rush? Can’t we stay here a little longer and enjoy some time alone?” He said, pushing a stray lock of blond hair away from Newton’s beautiful face.

In turn, the Alchemist sighed and took a step closer, brushing his lips on Adam’s thicker ones. “There’s no time for…” Newton trailed off when the other Mage’s hand reached his butt, pulling him even closer and against his hard on “Oh dear Providence!”

“Let me put my mouth on you, love…” Adam whispered in his ear, between nibbles and pecks on the creamy skin “I miss you so much!”

“But I’m right here! All the time!”

“Yeah, but not inside me…”

And that was always Newton’s breaking point. To know that he was the only one to whom Adam would show his most vulnerable side.

 

“I want him dead!” Melynas shouted, appearing in her sister’s old room amid a cloud of dark Magic. “I want them all dead!”

Haphara just laughed maniacally, the sound somewhat gruesome and unsettling.

“You knew!” She accused. “You knew my efforts would be in vain and still you let me go make a fool of myself!”

The sinister figure stopped laughing then, taking two steps closer to Its disciple. “There are things you must learn for yourself, child. Not to underestimate your enemy is one of them. Not overestimate yourself is another. See? I just killed two Higher Plain birds with one blow.”

“I hate you!” She hissed, getting rid of the uncomfortable dress.

“Of course, but I’m the only way for you to get what you want.”

“Says who?” Melynas turned back to the hooded figure “I am powerful and I have enough anger in my heart to explode this entire universe!”

“Thanks to me. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you can do this without me, Melynas!”

“Oh, sure! Because you’re so powerful, right? If that’s the case, why do you need me, then?” Haphara stayed quiet behind his shiny mask, so Melynas continued: “Oh… that’s right… You do need me, don’t you?”

“Don’t be so full of yourself, little girl! You would still be crying yourself to sleep every night if it wasn’t for me!”

“I still cry myself to sleep every night, old man. Nothing changed, except now I cry from anger and umbrage! And that’s all your fault!”

“Are you saying that you would prefer still be in the Academy, fawning over your teachers and serving the people?”

“At least I wouldn’t be alone!” She said after a long silence.

“I gave you a choice, Melynas and you chose this.”

“You took advantage of my pain! You knew I wasn’t going to say no!”

“True, but there’s no going back now. I am part of your destiny.”

“No!” She retorted suddenly “I changed my fate once, I can do it again!”

“Are you going to give it all up?”

“Give what up? I’m still a nobody and now everyone hates me. The only thing I ever wanted was to not be alone and now, because of you, that’s all I’ll be.”

“You will be powerful, you will be the Queen of this kingdom, feared by everyone!”

“Go away Haphara!”

“Melynas…”

“Go away!” She stormed towards the figure, launching a wave of Magic towards it that swept Haphara through a window.

Breathing heavily, the usurper Queen stared at the broken window for a long moment. She was alone again, more so now than in her young years, but like the sinister apparition had said, there was no going back now. She refused to apologize to her sister and refused to give up to the messed up system they were living in.

Her anger was well fed and purposeful and she was going to fulfill it, come what may.

The next day, when one of her minions came to tell her that the Red Queen’s elite troop had invaded the Castle’s dungeons to free the Shifter People, she had a plan to get her revenge and placate her anger with the blood of the blue-eyed Mage Warrior.


	2. Chapter 2

It took the Red Army two months of campaign to definitely win the war against the usurper. She was strong and powerful, but had no knowledge about warfare, so although it wasn’t easy for Adam and his men to defeat her, it wasn’t all that hard either.

However, what the Mage saw in the throne room that once belonged to his Queen left him unbalanced and unease, especially when the battle was finally over and he had the usurper’s head in his hands.

“We must take it to the Queen…” Someone said, but Adam couldn’t precise who.

“I won’t take a severed head to my Queen!” He said immediately.

“Adam, we must. Layung has to see this!” Danielle reasoned, to what her commander squeezed his eyes shut for a moment.

“You’re right.” He said, raising his eyes to his men “Listen up! This will not be commented upon outside these walls! Whatever this means,” Adam signaled to the severed head between them “Is not for the people to know! Am I understood, troop?”

“Aye, Commander!” The six people around him shouted.

“Very well. I believe everyone has something to do elsewhere, so move!”

“Adam…” Danielle approached her commander and friend as the others dispersed. “Are you alright?”

“How can I be alright, Danielle?” The Mage sighed and stuffed the severed head in a burlap sack he conjured, tying a tight knot to keep it closed. “I just cut a head off! And one that looks a lot like our Queen’s head! Fucking Depths, why did the Head Mage think I was born to do this?!” Adam sat down on a marble step, staring at his hands still stained with blood. They were shaking.

“They know you’re strong enough to do this and compassionate enough to not get used to killing. Those are the best qualities a Mage Warrior could possess.”

“I’m not so sure, but I’ll have to trust you, My Lady Seer.” He replied with a weak smile.

“Well… Apparently, I’m not that powerful, am I?” Danielle took a sideways glance to the sac on the floor beside them.

“You didn’t see this?”

She shook her head. “Trust me, I tell you everything I see, but my Vision has been a little inconstant since all of this… It’s like…”

“Like something is interfering.”

They looked back then, to see their Queen standing in the middle of the room, hands clasped in front of her body and a concerned look on her light eyes.

“Layung, what are you doing here? I told you to stay in Castle Grace!” Adam stood up and rushed to the Queen, to kiss her hands.

“Newton told me what happened. I had to see it for myself.”

“Layung…”

“Show me!” The Queen insisted.

With a sigh, Adam took the burlap sack and opened it, revealing its content to the Queen, who gasped and took a step back covering her mouth with her hands.

“Do you know her, Layung?” Danielle asked carefully and the Queen shook her head.

“I… It’s like I’m looking at my own face… I don’t… I don’t understand! And I… My soul… My soul aches twice as bad now.” Slowly, hands now clasping the front of her day dress, Layung fell on her knees, copious tears running from her beautiful eyes. Outside, through the broken windows, Danielle saw dark storm clouds forming in the sky and a heavy rain start to fall.

“She was your twin sister, Your Majesty.” A dark haired woman sporting the red robes of a Head Mage entered the room, followed by Adam’s men.

“Saphyr!” Layung exclaimed, getting up and running to the woman who raised her. “It’s so good to see you!”

“You too my girl.” The Mage whispered, tightening her grip around Layung’s shoulders before taking a step back. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about this, my dear, but I couldn’t.”

“Is it true? She was my sister?” Saphyr nodded once. “I thought the Head Mages had agreed to never separate twins born with Magic again… What happened?”

“A mistake… A mistake that shouldn’t have happened… My mistake.” With a heavy sigh, the Head Mage of the Central Academy called everyone in the room to gather around her. “Now I have to try and fix this as best as I can… And I apologize to you for what I am about to do…”

A bright explosion of light filled the room then and when it vanished, the Head Mage was alone in the wracked throne room. She sighed again, rubbing her hands on her face. Layung and the others were safe in their chambers, maybe with a slight headache but no memory of how the usurpers face looked or of the fact that she was the Queen’s twin sister. “No good would come from them knowing it.” She said to the walls around her.

Looking around, Saphyr found Melynas lifeless body and the bag with her head. She took the bag and kneeled beside the body, transporting it with her to a place far away from everything and everyone.

 

Slowly but surely, life got back to normal in the kingdom. The Red Queen was in her rightful place, the people were back at their houses and lives but something wasn’t quite right. There was a feeling of insecurity amongst the people in the Capital and other cities. They feared that something like the Last War could come upon them again. They feared that the Mages would get tired of serving them and make them their slaves.

Where did this fear come from? Haphara. The unwearying Chaos taking the reins of It’s plans again. It still needed Melynas to complete It’s objective, but after her rebellion, It would have to wait until the exact moment to bring her back.

It was with great satisfaction that Chaos watched the people taking the power from the Mages and the all-powerful Red Queen isolating herself from even her most beloved subjects. Now, all It had to do was wait for the perfect opportunity to destroy It’s true enemy: The Providence.

 

A few days before Layung made her final decision to leave the Red Castle, she called for a secret meeting with the Court’s Alchemist.

“What can I do for you today, my Queen?” Newton asked, bowing before her. He smiled as brightly as he could in the circumstances they were going through.

“There’s no need to call me that anymore, New…”

“You’ll always be my Queen, Layung.”

“And I’m grateful for that my dear, but what is a Queen without her throne? I’m nothing now but a highly trained Mage… And the people… They don’t want me anymore, so I must go. But before I do, I need to know, Newton.”

“Know what, My Lady?”

“The future! I need to know what will happen to my people!”

“You want a Clairvoyance elixir?” The Queen nodded once, her expression so sad it made Newton’s heart ache. “No. I’m sorry, but I can’t do that for you. You’re messing with something that is not for your knowledge! There’s no way to predict how it will affect the future events.”

“I won’t interfere! Who am I to do that, anyway?! Please, Newton! I just need to know they will be alright!”

The Alchemist took a long time just looking at his Queen and dearest friend’s anguished face. He never knew anyone who loved that kingdom as much as Layung and he couldn’t even begin to imagine how she was feeling at that moment.

“Are you sure you want to know? The chances are that something bad will happen since we won’t be here anymore to keep the balance and you won’t be able to interfere. You cannot interfere, Layung!”

“I know, I know! I won’t, I promise! Please, Newton!”

With a heavy and long sigh, the blond Mage nodded, saying: “Very well. Meet me at my chambers after supper; I’ll have it ready.”

“Thank you, Newton! Thank you so much!” Layung leaned forward and took the man in her arms.

“I only hope you’re still that thankful after you take it…”

“No matter what I see, I would never blame you for it, New.”

“Sometimes ignorance is a blessing my friend, but you’re choosing to renounce that blessing and I’m the one providing it to you...”

 

Alone in his laboratory, Newton was watching the elixir Layung had asked him for, boiling and decanting in the chalice. It was a pretty shade of blue that reminded him of Adam’s eyes. He smiled and opened the little locket dangling on a chain around his neck to look at the tiny picture inside: Adam’s right eye and brow. It was a silly fashion trend in his opinion, but when Adam had given him the locket, Newton jumped and threw his arms around his neck. It was a promise, a vow between the two of them.

The room smelled like the apples and cinnamon he used to better the taste of the elixir by the time it was ready. He filled a small flask with the light blue colored liquid and sealed it with a cork, getting it ready for the Queen. There was a little left in the goblet that didn’t fit in the flask and he was left wondering what to do with it.

Newton was an optimistic person by nature, the kind of person that gets annoying sometimes, so happy and bright humored he was and he had no doubt that despite this new reality they were facing, everything would be alright in the end. Alright meaning Layung on the throne with Adam and him, married, by her side.

He had no doubt but he also had just enough of the Clairvoyance elixir to be absolutely sure of it, so, after he handed the Queen her flask, he locked himself in his room, concentrated on his future with Adam and drank the elixir.

To say that drinking the potion was a mistake would be an understatement. And he knew, deep down in his mind that he shouldn’t do this. He shouldn’t seek to know the things that were not for his knowledge for nothing good could come from it. But he did, in his optimism and self-confidence, he ignored his conscience and now he was heartbroken. He was not the man in Adam’s future.

Newton left the Red Castle before the next day saw its dawn, leaving behind only the little locket Adam had given him.

He would be back. Of course he would, he could never part from the only family he ever had permanently, but for now he needed to heal his heart and his soul.

 

On that same night, Layung made a similar decision. After watching the future of her people unfold before her closed eyes, she knew she could not stay in the Red Castle. She shouldn’t. The people would be just fine. Not as good as they were now, under her reign, but fine enough. They didn’t want her anymore and they had chosen to take their lives into their own hands, so she would let them.

She retreated to Castle Grace, her favorite amongst the Forgotten Castles, casting a spell that would prevent even her friends to find her.

Years passed, and then decades, then centuries and Layung grew accustomed to never hearing another human being’s voice. She wasn’t alone in the Castle, for several of the Shifter People had found their way to her but she discovered, with great grief, that she couldn’t free them from the curse that had trapped them all in their animal forms.

One day, she was walking in the gardens around the castle when she saw a tall figure standing underneath a pergola full of purple flowers. At first, Layung thought it was a mirror, but then she noted that the figure could not be her reflection, for it was dressed in black instead of red and had long curly black hair, when she kept hers very short and hidden by a turban. She slowly got closer; it was strange to see another person after all these years.

“Hello, sister.” The figure said, stepping out of the shadows causing Layung to gasp and take a step back “There’s no need to be afraid.”

“Who are you? Why do you look so much like me?”

The other woman sighed and took yet another step closer. “She did a fine job taking your memories of me… I am you sister, Layung. Your twin, my name is Melynas.”

“That can’t be! I… How could I never know that?”

“Because she never told you. And after the Last War, when your soldier killed me, she took me away and wiped your memories of me.” Saying that, the woman raised her hand and touched Layung’s forehead, the contact bringing back all of the memories the Queen had lost.

“Melynas!” Layung shouted, opening her eyes “Oh dear Providence! You’re alive! How that can be possible?”

“Our souls are bounded, sister. I can’t die unless you do too. No matter how many times I get killed, if you are alive, I’ll come back. And the opposite is true as well.”

“I… can’t believe it! After all this time, my soul is not aching! I… I feel complete and truly whole now. Can you feel it too?”

Melynas nodded and raised her arms, inviting Layung closer. With tears flooding her eyes and running down her cheeks, the Red Queen fell forward in her sister’s arms, her own firmly tied around the other’s waist.

“I hated you for so long! I hated our parents and the Mages… I had nothing but hate and anger inside of me.” She said against Layung’s neck, tears on her face as well. “And I’m sorry. I can’t put in words how sorry I am for everything I did, the lives I’ve taken and for causing you pain!”

“Nothing matters now! It’s all in the past. You can be good now and lighten your soul with your future deeds. I’m sure the Providence won’t deny you a place in the Higher Planes if you’re truly sorry…”

“I couldn’t care less about what happens to my soul, sister!” Melynas says, taking a step back to dry her tears. “I just want to make it up to you. Help you get your throne back and your life… And hopefully, you’ll have a place for me in it?”

“Of course, you have a place in my life, sister; about my throne, I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do. The people have decided that they don’t want me, so I can’t go back unless they call for me again.”

“We’ll make them change their minds!” Melynas attested strongly as Layung shook her head.

“That’s not how it works, dearest, but it’s alright. I’m happy here and now I have you.”

“This is so not fair!” The other said, pacing in front of Layung.

“You might think so, but everything happened exactly the way it was supposed to.”

“How can you be so calm about all of this? After all I’ve have done to you?”

“Sometimes, the only thing you can do is accept the fact that there’s nothing you can do. Besides, what happened is in the past and we can’t change that, only our future.” Layung smiled and reached forward to take her sister’s hand. “Come inside and have tea with me. We have a lot to talk about!”

To Melynas utter surprise, Layung didn’t ask her about her previous life, what had led her to do the things she did. The older twin couldn’t decide if she was happy or bothered by that. She decided to leave her past behind and to clean her heart, after all those centuries with Saphyr, but part of her wanted to talk about it with her sister, tell her about Haphara and all the harm It had done. She was bothered because she didn’t feel ready to talk about it, but if Layung asked, she would have to tell her and things would be easier.

But Layung didn’t ask. She just wanted to know where Melynas had been since the Last War was over and what happened for her to have such a big change of heart.

“Saphyr helped me. She told me everything that truly happened, about our parents, about you and our destinies and also I…” Melynas stopped suddenly, her eyes sparkled and a small giggle escaped her lips “I met someone…”

“You fell in love? Melynas, that’s amazing!” Layung celebrated, holding her sister’s hands “Tell me everything!”

“Oh my! He’s so handsome! And kind and smart… he treats me so well, sister! I want to spend the rest of my life with him!”

Layung smiled brightly, but she felt a sting deep inside her heart. For the first time in decades, she thought about Adam. She knew his love wasn’t for her, but she loved him anyway.

“I’m so happy for you, dear! Love really can change lives!”

“You say that, but I feel sadness in your heart, sister…”

“Oh, don’t worry! I’m truly happy for you, Melynas… The thing is that I suffer from a case of hopeless love.”

“It’s the blue-eyed Warrior, isn’t it?” Layung nodded “How can he prefer men when he has you longing for him?”

“That’s how Nature works, dear. But don’t worry about me. I am at peace with my faith and I know my heart is in good hands. Adam would never hurt me.”

 

It was surprising for both sisters how they got along so well and so easily, even if they had never talked before. Melynas even tried to undo the spell imprisoning the Shifters that lived in Castle Grace, but she couldn’t. It was Haphara’s doing, so only It could lift the spell.

When the night fell and both moons were already high in the sky, Darius big and full and Sirus a distant point in the sky, Melynas announced she had to go, for her love was waiting for her.

Standing in the courtyard of the castle, looking up at the sky dotted with stars, the twins held hands for a long moment.

“Isn’t it sad that Sirus is abandoning his brother?” Melynas said in a whisper.

“Yes… I’m sure Darius is going to miss his company and I know Sirus is not doing it for his own will. Like us… I would never wish for what happened with us, sister!”

“I know.” Melynas touched Layung’s forehead with hers “But we are together now and nothing will change that!”

“Nothing!” Layung confirmed. “I’ll see you soon, yeah?”

“Yes, I’ll be back! Goodnight, sister!”

“Goodnight!”

 

The bond between the sisters grew strong and pure, like it should have been. Melynas came often to Castle Grace to visit Layung and the former Queen even ventured out of her hideout to see the house where Melynas was living with her lover and she was there the day the couple discovered about Melynas pregnancy.

Layung rejoiced with the news, she truly did but at the same time, it became more and more clear to her what she was missing.

Surrounded by her solitude, in her chambers at Castle Grace, she cried for herself for the first time. She had never shed one single tear for her faith, but that night, with the blatant proof of everything she was never going to have, Layung cried herself to sleep.

The bright sun that shone upon the castle the next morning did nothing to placate her sorrow and Layung didn’t know what to do for she had never felt like that before.

She fed the Shifters living in the castle and walked around the garden and along the shore. She prayed and she cried some more until she remembered a precious piece of advice an old Master Mage had given her so many centuries ago, when she was nothing more than a girl with an aching soul: “Whenever you feel uneasy or upset, clean your closet. Keep your hands busy so your mind can fly and you’ll find your answers.” Back then it sounded like a silly thing to do but Layung had proven its efficiency throughout the years, so she headed back to the Castle and to her chambers.

Standing in front of her biggest wardrobe, she took a big breath and opened its doors. There were all sorts of things inside, not only clothes and jewels and she sat on the floor to open the drawers decorated with marquetry.

Item by item, memories came back to her. Good memories and bad. Sad memories and happy ones. Her life had been good, fortunate even. She couldn’t say the same about her sister. They were the same age and only now Melynas had found peace and love in her life. Layung soon realized she had no right to question her own fate. She was paying the price for the happy life she lived so far. That was the balance Nature relied on. And now it was Melynas’ time to be happy.

Feeling better, she pulled the last little box from the drawer. It was a small engraved chest and its lid was locked.

“Interesting… I don’t remember what’s inside…” Using her Magic, Layung unlocked the little chest, revealing a small flask half filled with a light blue liquid. She removed the cork and smelled the bottleneck “The Clairvoyance elixir!” Hastily she sealed it again and locked the chest.

One of the things Newton had warned her about so many years back was the most dangerous side effect of the elixir: the temptation. Once you experienced the knowledge, you would most certainly come back for more if you had the chance.

Layung didn’t remember why she had kept that vial. She had promised Newton she would get rid of it, but somehow, she didn’t. Now, she could feel the Elixir’s appeal, calling for her just because she knew where it was and because she knew how it felt like to glance upon the future.

“I won’t do that again!” She exclaimed, her voice echoing in the walls around her. Clutching the little chest against her body, she ran to the tallest tower in the castle and from there, she threw the potion into the sea. “Never again!”

 

Months passed while she followed her sister’s pregnancy up close, helping Melynas prepare for when the baby arrived. Meanwhile, Melynas’ lover grew more and more distant from them, spending most of his time away from home.

“It’s just how he is, sister. There’s no need to worry about it.” The older twin used to say whenever Layung expressed her concern. “He has acted like this since we met, years ago and I don’t mind, because he has always come back to me.”

Layung accepted the information but it still bothered her for some reason, besides, she could never get over the sensation that she already knew the man called Rasul Almawt and that he wasn’t who he made Melynas believe he was. Of course, he was handsome and gentle and treated her sister the best way possible but something was not right about him.

As the birth approached, Layung moved to the house where Melynas and Rasul lived in a small town far away from the country’s New Capital.

One night, coming back to her room, Layung saw something in her nightstand that she thought she would never see again. A small flask half filled with blue liquid.

“NO! How is that…” She took several steps back, hitting something solid and warm.

“Layung… I’m sorry but I need you to drink this.” Rasul said, coming into the room and closing the door behind him.

“What? Do you know what that is? I can’t… I… I’ve already done it once and I swore I would never do it again! It’s too much! I… Why are you asking me to drink it?”

“I know it’s too much, but I need you to know. I need you to see! Please! Our world is in danger!”

“Our world? What do you mean? Who… Who are you?”

As that question hovered over them, Rasul took a big intake, letting it all out at once and then a ball of light surrounded him.

When the light faded, Layung saw herself standing before the most magnificent creature she ever saw: muscled body clad in a shiny armor, long blond hair falling around his shoulders and large long wings made of gold.

“You are the Herald of Death!” The former Queen exclaimed, shocked.

“Yes, but I’m also Rasul Almawt, the man who loves your sister.”

“I see sadness in your eyes… What is it you need me to know?”

“I can’t tell you. You have to see it, Layung. Please! We are running out of time!”

Layung took a long moment to just look at the creature standing before her: the shiny wings and armor, the long fingers of gentle touch and the beautiful but so saddened face.

“Alright. Something tells me I won’t like what I’m going to see, but if you are asking me, I’ll do it.”

Layung then took the vial and drank the Elixir in one swig, falling to her knees the second it reached her stomach.

She saw fear and destruction ruling their precious world. People suffering and dying for no reason and above all that tragedy, sitting on a throne made of human bodies, rivers of blood running from it, she saw a blond man dressed in black and his facial features made Layung cry. He looked exactly like the man standing before her just seconds ago but his eyes were like her sister’s.

Rasul kneeled beside Layung’s unconscious body, holding her against his chest until she woke up, clear eyes filled with tears and a strangled scream in her throat.

“That can’t be! Rasul, please, tell me we can prevent it from happening! Please!” She pleaded, groping at his clothes in despair.

“We can! We can prevent that future from happening, Layung but…”

“But what? What do we have to do?”

“We have to take the baby away. My son can’t be raised by Melynas and I. If he does, he’ll become the Black King and bring destruction to our land. Forever. There will be no salvation!”

“No! I can’t do that! I can’t separate my sister from her baby! Rasul, there must be another way!”

“There isn’t, Layung. I spent all those months searching for a solution, but I couldn’t find any. We must take the baby away!”

“Can’t I have him?”

“No. He must have no knowledge of Magic whatsoever; his soul must remain pure until the moment comes when he’ll take his rightful place.”

“He will be King then?”

“Yes, but the right kind of King. He will be generous and wise and loved by the people.”

At that moment, they heard Melynas’ call coming from the end of the hall.

“The baby is coming. We have to hurry!”

“She’ll hate me again…” Layung said in a whisper, tears running down her face again. Rasul’s face became dark and even sadder. “Dear Providence why does it have to be like this?! There will be no happiness for my sister and I?”

“I don’t know how to answer that, Layung and I’m sorry!”

 

It was a difficult labor. Although Melynas didn’t feel any pain, the baby was in the wrong position and wouldn’t come out easily. When it was finally over, mother unconscious on the bed and the baby barely crying, Rasul wrapped the little boy in a blanket and gave him to Layung.

“He has her eyes…” She said amongst tears “And your nose…”

“Go, Layung. Take him to a family of Humans.”

“How will I choose…”

“Let the Providence guide you.”

“Won’t she find him?”

“I arranged that won’t happen. She won’t be able to find you either, so don’t worry.”

“I’m not. I’m just…”

In that moment, Melynas started to give signs of consciousness.

“Go now! For Goodness’ sake, go!”

Layung traveled miles and miles in her cloud of Magic, the sleeping baby snuggled against her chest and her sister’s face burned forever in her mind.

She ended up in the Old Capital of the kingdom, close enough to her old Castle that she could see its ruins. There was a little house with a red door and a small lamp casting a fading light over a pile of baby clothes and toys.

It was an old tradition of her people that remained through the centuries: When a family lost a baby, they would leave their belongings outside so someone in need could take them.

Materializing on the porch she picked through a window to see a woman and a small girl clutched to each other, crying silently. There was so much love and sadness emanating from that little house that Layung knew in her soul it was the right place for her nephew to grow up.

She knocked and waited, praying for the Providence to take care of the baby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!! If you like it, please leave a comment!  
> I love you guys!!!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy this! If you do, plz leave a comment!


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